Madeleine de Sinéty's Rural World Revealed at Jeu de Paume

The Jeu de Paume in Paris is hosting a retrospective of French photographer Madeleine de Sinéty (1934–2011), whose work documents the disappearing rural world of Poilley, Brittany, in the 1970s. The exhibition, co-organized with the Médiathèque du patrimoine et de la photographie, runs from June 12 to September 24, 2026, after a prior showing at the Château de Tours. Curated by Jérôme Sother, it reveals over 50,000 images from Poilley alone, including 33,000 color slides and 20,000 black-and-white negatives. Sinéty, who trained at the Arts décoratifs in Paris and worked as an illustrator, abandoned her career after discovering Poilley in 1972, immersing herself in the lives of its 500 residents for nearly a decade. Her photographs capture the gestures of labor, communal rituals, and the transformation of agriculture, avoiding nostalgia in favor of an intense, organic present. The exhibition also includes her later work in Rangeley, Maine, where she moved in 1985. Her archives are now held by the Musée Nicéphore-Niépce and the Médiathèque du patrimoine et de la photographie. Sother notes that her work 'touches intimately' and 'awakens something very deep,' connecting viewers to their rural roots. The show highlights her unique approach, which contrasts with other rural photographers like Wright Morris and Raymond Depardon.